Lafayette Investments Inc. Takes $3.34 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Lafayette Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 19,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,338,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $178.13 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $216.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.